Sebastian Vettel was quickest in second practice in Japan, with Lewis Hamilton topping the timing screens in Friday morning’s first session. The Red Bull driver set a time of 1min 33.852sec, one and a half-tenths quicker than team-mate Mark Webber, with the Mercedes of Nico Rosberg in third place. Hamilton could not match the pace he had shown earlier in the day finishing in sixth.

Kimi Raikkonen improved despite beaching his car in the gravel at Dunlop 30 minutes from the end of the session to take fourth and Romain Grosjean also moved up to fifth in practice two with Toro Rosso's Daniel Ricciardo making another strong showing to finish seventh ahead of Felipe Massa and Jenson Button. Fernando Alonso, who span but managed to control the car at Degner concluded the session in 10th.

McLaren's Sergio Pérez took a heavy knock into the barriers at Spoon after putting his rear wheel onto the astroturf, which ended his session. It was also a disappointing day for Williams when Pastor Maldonado, who had lost a wheel in first practice, also went off at Degner just 12 minutes into practice two.

Hamilton had made it a one-two in first practice alongside team-mate Rosberg. Vettel and Webber in the two Red Bulls were in third and fourth position. Hamilton did a 19-lap run and set the fastest time of 1min 34.157sec, three tenths quicker than Rosberg. Vettel was a further sixth-tenths back and Massa was the quickest of the two Ferraris in fifth with Fernando Alonso in sixth place.

Grosjean and Raikkonen took seventh and eighth spots for Lotus but the perfect symmetry of each team being paired within the top 10 was interrupted by Daniel Ricciardo, who slotted his Torro Rosso between the two McLarens of Pérez and Button.

Maldonado lost his left-rear wheel at Spoon corner, while Marussia's Jules Bianchi and Caterham's Giedo van der Garde both crashed at Degner, with the former's car receiving chassis damage that meant he missed the second session.